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Those incorrigible folks over at 1addicts threw up several more “official” pics of the 1-series coupe, along with BMW USA’s press release (dated for 6/30/07 - oops!), which is posted below the fold.

Now that we’ve got some official information to work off, we know that BMW will be debuting the 1-series in Frankfurt this September, with sales to begin in North America sometime in the spring of next year. We’ll be getting two different versions — a 128i and a 135i – the former producing 230 HP and 200 lb.-ft. of torque, while the latter, turbocharged mill will be making 300 HP (at 5,800 RPM) and 300 lb.-ft. of torque (at least). The 135i is obviously the range-topper and is the central focus of the press release, with performance stats that are truly impressive (0-62 in 5.3 seconds, 155 MPH top speed, 50-75 MPH in five seconds in 4th gear), placing it a step beyond the Porsche Cayman S for outright acceleration.

On the handling tip, the 1-series will have an ideal 50:50 weight distribution, keeping with BMW tradition, while MacPherson struts in the front and a five-link arrangement in the rear keep things suspended. Driving aids are included, but a variable diff isn’t. Plus, 18-inch rollers are standard on all four corners, with 7.5 inches of width in the front and 8.5 inches of rubber in the back.

BMW’s doing a lot to tie the 1-series to the 2002 of yore, but they also draw parallels to the M-division, it styling cues and general philosophy. BMW still maintains that there won’t be an M1, but in the meantime, we get the closest thing to an original M3 that we’ve seen in well over a decade.

Few models in the BMW lineup have as much tuning potential as the newly released 135i, and the Bavarian boys and girls are intent to capture as much of that market as possible. The BMW 1-series tii concept proved that BMW was serious about offering performance parts to boost (and possibly lighten) its new turbo’d coupe, and a member of 1addicts posted photos of what could be the first 135 to get the in-house tuner treatment.

Most of the parts shown are carryovers from the tii concept, including the revised front fascia, side skirts, carbon fiber diffuser and matching rear wing. The C.F. hood may have been swapped out for a stock aluminum piece, but we’re guessing the weave has been covered in matching white paint. The upgraded brakes are one of the most obvious additions, while inside, there’s plenty of Alcantara covered kit, from the shift boot to the seats, which are also dead ringers for the thrones shown on the concept. The steering wheel is new however, sporting more grippy suede and complete with three different sections packed with LEDs. Your guess is as good as ours about the two displays mounted at 11 and 1, but the center mounted LED arrangement is likely a shift-light/rev meter.

Thanks for the tip, JL!

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The numero-uno forum for all things 1-series got a hold of BMW’s brochure for its upcoming line of performance parts, and as suspected, much of the kit originally seen on the tii concept will be available through authorized BMW dealers.

The photos we posted last week of the modified 1-series sho

w the same car displayed in the brochure. Unfortunately, the text is in German, but Google’s translation software is here to help.Aside from some aerodynamic body panels that are visible in the pictures, well-to-do customizers can upgrade the front brakes of their 1-series with six-piston yellow calipers squeezing 325mm drilled and slotted rotors, while two-piston calipers in the rear grab onto 320mm rotors. Three different wheel choices frame those new yellow binders, ranging from 18×7.5-inches all the way up to 19×9 inch rollers, while a new dampers, springs, stabilizer and strut tower bars are available to keep things planted at all four corners.

While we don’t see an optional ECU upgrade mentioned in the brochure, BMW will be offering a new intake setup and a full exhaust to ease breathing duties, and a new short shifter supposedly reduces throws by 25-percent over its stock counterpart.

Inside, there’s plenty of carbon fiber, aluminum and Alcantara accoutrements that can be applied throughout the interior, and those sports seats we’ve been drooling over will be available as well. The big question, however, is what’s going on with the steering wheel. At the 12 o’clock position is an LCD screen that can be controlled via the two buttons flanking its sides. The display can act as a stopwatch, able to keep track of 10 different laps down to 1/100 of a second, and can record 1/8- and 1/4-mile times, saving them for later viewing, along with keeping tabs on the engine temp, positive, negative and lateral g’s.

You can check out some of the pics in the gallery below.

Top tip Jack!

[Source: 1addicts]